Recipe: Sweet Potato with Creole Salsa of Chickpeas and Feta

(Boniato Zanahoria al Plomo with Salsa Criolla) ENJOY DINING IN W Muscat has some of Oman’s best places for dining and offers the most sumptuous of food available in this part of the world. The chefs of W Muscat will be taking centre stage in the next two weeks offering some of the hotel’s best creations. As a bonus, this month has seen the launching of Ba Ban, the newest addition to its fine restaurants that offer the spirit of 1920s and 30s Shanghai and life around the Bund, a by-gone era of entertainment and charm. Reservations are mandatory at Ba Ban which is open for lunch Tuesdays – Saturdays from 12 PM – 430PM. Chef Guido Ojeda, the head chef of Char is sharing this vegan-friendly recipe which can be served as a meat-free main course. INGREDIENTS: SERVES 2 PEOPLE 2 large sweet potatoes 1 red onion, diced 1 red capsicum, diced 1 green capsicum, diced 1cup cooked chickpeas 100gr feta cheese 2tbsp olive oil 2tbsp vinegar Coriander leaves Salt and pepper to taste PREPARATION METHOD Preheat oven to 180º Celsius Wrap the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and cook in oven for one hour. Potatoes should be completely soft to touch when ready. Set aside and allow potatoes to rest for 20 minutes. In a bowl, mix diced vegetables with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the cooked chickpeas and mix. Remove the sweet potatoes from the aluminum foil and cut at half. Place on serving plates and top with the salsa. Sprinkle feta cheese and coriander leaves on top and season to taste. ABOUT THE CHEF CHEF GUIDO OJEDA Head Chef, CHAR W Muscat Hotel Guido joined W Muscat in 2019, becoming the Head Chef of signature grill-house, CHAR – a perfect fit for the Argentinian meat-lover.  He brought with him over a decade of experience from kitchens across the world, most recently holding the position of Executive Chef at The Grand Hotel in Uruguay. In his years working with private dining establishments, 5-star hotels and events catering companies, Guido has successfully managed fully-operational kitchens catering to hundreds of guests, bringing his fiery South American touch and love for celebrating life with good food. After beginning his cooking journey with an Artisanal Baking course at the Argentinian Institute of Gastronomy, Guido went on to receive qualifications in Professional Pastry and Professional Gastronomy before undertaking specialized courses in Italian Gastronomy and French Cuisine. True to his beloved Argentina, when he’s not serving up flame-grilled treats at CHAR, you can find him immersed in all things football and recreating his grandmother’s famous home recipes.